In John Knowles novel A Separate Peace, there are two main characters in the book. They are Gene and Finny. Gene is likable  and very dis-likable and times. Gene is very proper and intelligent, but at the same time, he is a young man with guy actions. One thing I like about Gene is that he is striving to be the valedictorian of his class. I like his determination on this goal, I just do not like his motives for accomplishing this goal. He wants to be better or equal to Finny. That’s why he wants to be valedictorian. Gene is very envious of Finny. Gene is very smart, but very envious. He does not live up to his own standards, but he tries to impress or beat people who are better than him. He wants to be accepted by society.

Finny is a risk taker. Why would you be a person who lets life pass right in front of your eyes? There is no fun in that. The reason I like Finny is because, I see myself in him, just not academically. Finny lives life to the fullest. He has fun, and he enjoys tricking people into doing stupid things. Finny is an athlete. Even at a young age, Finny was the best athlete at Devon. He is a hard worker. One thing I do not like about Finny is his academics. Finny is a poor student. He rarely puts the time in to study for exams, or even get help from the teacher or other students. I also dislike his opinion about the war. He does not face reality when reality needs to be faced. Finny lives life like a little kid. He has no worries and, he just goes with the flow.